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Discover UCL summer school for D/deaf and hard of hearing students

18 August 2014

Last week UCL ran an innovative three day residential summer
school exclusively for D/deaf and hard of hearing students from across the UK.

The Discover UCL Summer School, which was developed and run
in partnership with UCL Deafness Cognition and Language Research Centre (DCAL)
and the Deaf Education Advocacy Fellowship (DEAF), gave 20 Year 11 and 12
pupils a taste of student life in London.

Students took part in a variety of academic taster sessions
and workshops – which included tips on writing a UCAS personal statement, applying
for student finance and information on the specialist support available to
D/deaf and hard of hearing students at university.

Organiser Alice Salmon said: “Deaf students are severely
underrepresented at university level and as far as we are aware UCL is the
first university in the UK to run a residential summer school just for D/deaf
and hard of hearing students.

“Programmes like this are incredibly important for widening
participation in Higher Education. We really wanted to give students a better
understanding of what life at university is like and to encourage them to
apply.”

The students also had the chance to meet with D/deaf and
hard of hearing graduates to learn about their personal experiences of student
life in London and what they have been up to since finishing university.

Emily Medlock, a year 12 pupil from Shireoaks,
Nottinghamshire described the summer school as a wonderful and unique
experience, “I met a lot of individuals who were going on the same journey as I
am in life, being Deaf and wanting to go to university.”

Grace Penn, a year 11 student from the Knightsfield School in
Hertfordshire said: “This was an amazing opportunity and gave me a chance to
find out more about UCL. Now my confidence has grown and I am even more
determined to work hard from now on. Because of UCL, I believe in myself and
that I can do it. Being deaf doesn’t stop me doing anything.”